Jensen Ackles Officially Reclaims Tom Hardy’s Streaming Throne on Paramount+ With New Thriller

Jensen Ackles has another reason to celebrate his return to Tracker. The CBS crime thriller, which features the Supernatural star as Russell Shaw, as Russell Shaw, ranked No. 3 on Paramount+’s U.S. television chart on November 3, 2026, while Tom Hardy’s MobLand dropped four positions to No. 7.

According to FlixPatrol’s daily rankings, Tracker trailed only South Park and Marshals, overtaking established favorites including Tulsa King, NCIS, and MobLand. The timing is particularly sweet for Ackles, whose much-anticipated appearance in Tracker Season 4, Episode 5, Need to Know, aired on November 1. Although Justin Hartley headlines the series as professional reward seeker Colter Shaw, Ackles’ recurring role as his older brother has become integral to its larger family mystery.

The latest rankings put a show featuring Ackles comfortably ahead of Hardy’s gangster drama, even if daily chart positions cannot establish which individual actor drove the surge.

Jensen Ackles’ Tracker Return Brings the Shaw Brothers Back Together

Credit:- CBS

Tracker Season 4, Episode 5, Need to Know, reunites Russell and Colter after the disturbing revelations of the previous season. Russell seeks Colter’s help after his friend Grant, a military contractor, discovers that his wife and daughter have been kidnapped. The abductors are not seeking a conventional ransom. Instead, the kidnappers demand that Grant retract a report about an explosion involving a concealed military weapon, threatening to expose a costly defense-industry cover-up.

What initially resembles a missing-person investigation develops into a conspiracy involving powerful interests. Russell’s return is hardly a clean slate. In the Season 3 finale, The Best Ones, Russell agreed to undertake a secret assignment to keep Colter from discovering disturbing information about their father’s involvement in a covert research program. That bargain remains unresolved in Need to Know. Russell helps rescue Grant’s family, but the dangerous work he agreed to undertake continues to cast a shadow over the brothers.

Speaking to TV Insider, Hartley teased the brothers’ reunion:

The appeal lies in their uneasy loyalty. Colter makes a living uncovering secrets, yet the person closest to him is deliberately concealing one. Russell’s protective instincts could eventually become the very thing that tears them apart.

What’s Next for Jensen Ackles and Tom Hardy’s MobLand?

Credit: Paramount+

Jensen Ackles’ latest Tracker appearance is not expected to be his last. Hartley confirmed that the actor could return for several more episodes in 2027, although scheduling remains a factor. Justin Hartley told TV Insider, adding that he expects Ackles back for more appearances in the new year:

That leaves two compelling threads hanging: what Russell discovered in his father’s secret file, and how long he can keep Colter in the dark. Meanwhile, Tom Hardy’s MobLand remains a formidable rival despite slipping to seventh on November 3. Created by Ronan Bennett, the crime series follows fixer Harry Da Souza as he navigates the violent power struggles surrounding the Harrigan family, headed by Pierce Brosnan’s Conrad and Helen Mirren’s Maeve.

Its second season continues the Harrigans’ increasingly dangerous battle for control, while Harry’s loyalties are tested by the very people he is paid to protect. The two thrillers take markedly different routes to suspense. MobLand trades in organized crime, family dynasties, and calculated brutality; Tracker combines self-contained investigations with a long-running mystery about the Shaw family.

For now, the chart advantage belongs to Tracker. But Hardy’s series has hardly been counted out, and a single day’s rankings are not a verdict on either show’s overall popularity.

Tracker airs Sundays on CBS, with episodes available on Paramount+ live for eligible Premium subscribers and on demand the following day. MobLand is also streaming on Paramount+.